• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

That ink will void your warranty!!!!(*&*&^%

ProWraps

New Member
see attached... thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • 10_gallon_hat_douche.jpg
    10_gallon_hat_douche.jpg
    237.3 KB · Views: 158

wonsngis

New Member
I'm aware of that statute in regard to automobiles. Essentially, it means that aftermarket parts cannot void your warranty unless it can be proven that they are the DIRECTLY the cause of a specific mechanical failure.

I had wondered if it would apply to printers. Hmmm...
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Well, Frank's right.

They have to be able to prove that third party ink caused the failure and then they can refuse to service or repair ONLY the failed component under warranty, but they cannot, under any circumstances, legally void a warranty simply because you use third party ink, even if the ink caused something to go wrong.
 

American & Proud

New Member
I wouldn,t put my trust into what a guy says that has to have his mug plastered on just about every page of the catalog, (whats up with that anyways, he must have been an unloved child or something.)to know what the law really covers, I did Not see were he says HE will cover you if for some reason your factory warranty refuses to, after determining you used non factory inks.

If I just invested 20-30 grand on a printer I would use the factory inks at least until my warranty had ended.
Is it worth the savings on inks if they refuse to cover you under warranty?

Better safe than Sorry.
 

Jester1167

Premium Subscriber
He's probably right, but the manufacture is going to say the 3rd party ink caused the pump, heads, dampers... to fail. Now you will have to lawer up and that will cost more than the repairs plus your lost time.
 
I thought the MM Act would cover it too, until someone pointed out that it states CONSUMER Product, and commercial printers would not be covered. So who's right?
 

sjm

New Member
Well, Frank's right.

They have to be able to prove that third party ink caused the failure and then they can refuse to service or repair ONLY the failed component under warranty, but they cannot, under any circumstances, legally void a warranty simply because you use third party ink, even if the ink caused something to go wrong.

Wonders why one is using third party ink in the first place? Saving money perhaps? Then they wonder why a warranty is not honored.

Reminds me of a friend who put leaded gasoline in his car when it ran on diesel.
 

Pat Whatley

New Member
So I've heard this argument a couple of hundred times and it's the same every time.

Can I ask...has anybody ever been denied service because of third party inks or gotten service even though they were using third party inks?
 

signappeal

New Member
Good question Pat.

Has anyone here been denied warranty service using 3rd party inks?

Let expose the bad.

Has anyone received warranty service when using 3rd party inks?

Lets praise the good.

Has anyone had a 3rd party ink supplier step up to the plate and repair a printer that had problems caused by the inks?

Lets give them Kudos.

Lets hear it people.
 

sjm

New Member
So I've heard this argument a couple of hundred times and it's the same every time.

Can I ask...has anybody ever been denied service because of third party inks or gotten service even though they were using third party inks?

Can I forward you some invoices?
 

G-Artist

New Member
The ad is correct. If it wasn't he'd be liable.

Think of it this way. You buy a Ford or Chevy and you are told to only use their brand of gas and oil or no warranty what would you say and do?

Manufacturers have a guaranteed residual income from inks. Profits there are HUGE. Desktop printers could actually be given away and the folks at Epson, HP and the rest would still be very rich merely from ink sales.

Whether or not to use 3rd party inks is a personal matter. But don't be cowed by mere threats.
 

cdiesel

New Member
Good question Pat.

Has anyone here been denied warranty service using 3rd party inks?

Let expose the bad.

Has anyone received warranty service when using 3rd party inks?

Lets praise the good.

Has anyone had a 3rd party ink supplier step up to the plate and repair a printer that had problems caused by the inks?

Lets give them Kudos.

Lets hear it people.

Triangle has been very helpful in figuring out any issues. That said, we haven't really had any. A minor issue which turned out to be static--not even ink related. We have had numerous repairs that were covered under warranty, and not had any warranty claims denied. That said, if we ever did receive a denied claim, I wouldn't be mad at the printer manufacturer. I'd absolutely disagree with them, but I couldn't say I'd blame them for voiding a warranty.

While Frank may or may not be correct, the burden of proof would still fall on you to prove that the ink did *not* cause the issue, not the other way around. I'd imagine most of the printer manufacturers have pretty good lawyers.

I'm a big proponent of 3rd party ink--for the right shop. 3rd party ink (ESPECIALLY bulk) is not for the casual user or the shop only doing a couple cartridges of ink per color per month. If you're a low volume shop, stick with OEM and avoid any possible headaches. If you're doing higher volume, the cost savings of using 3rd party ink will offset any potential costs, should you have to replace something. We save literally thousands of dollars each month. I have had to replace exactly two heads since switching to Triangle bulk inks almost three years ago (this is out of twelve total heads in service). Both of the heads that were replaced were about the 4 billion shot count, which is actually beyond expected head life.

Keep in mind, we clean our machines daily. This is in part due to the higher volume we run, along with the hotter mix of the Triangle MLD inks. We run Triangle wipers, which are more resistant to the stronger solvents (and also cost less!) than OEM.

We also enjoy faster dry times and a more durable finish for unlaminated products.

So yes, there are pros & cons to 3rd party and bulk ink systems. There is no right or wrong answer across the board. If you are willing to take on a little risk for a possible savings, the potential is there.
 
The ad is correct. If it wasn't he'd be liable.

I don't think it's correct.......




"The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act applies only to consumer products, which are defined as "any tangible personal property which is distributed in commerce and which is normally used for personal, family, or household purposes (including any such property intended to be attached to or installed in any real property without regard to whether it is so attached or installed)"

The way I read it is that if your printer at home dies and you were using staples ink, you are covered. If you use your commercial Rolland with non oem inks and something breaks, you may be SOL.
 

cdiesel

New Member
I actually had an issue with my truck about two years ago. My EGR valve let go and dumped coolant into the intake, which hydro-locked the motor. Ford decided it was my lift/wheels/tires that had caused the issue and voided my warranty. Ford has had many issues with their EGR system and has even issued recalls that were related to it. I probably would've had a decent case to argue with them that my modifications had nothing to do with the problem, but I would've had to spend one hell of a lot of money to prove that. I put a new motor in it on my dime and went on my way.

This slightly outside of the realm of the Magnuson Moss act, as that is designed more for aftermarket replacement parts/fluids/etc. The point is the same though.
 

cptcorn

adad
Why is everyone so heavily focused on their warranties of their machines?

The real issue is whether or not your vinyl manufacture will warranty your prints using 3rd party inks. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have a lot larger sum of capital tied up into my end products than the cost of my printer. Vinyl manufactures' warranties are backed by extensively testing oem inks with the product. They can offer a warranty, because they have test results showing that these inks are compatible with their product.

I sleep well at night knowing that 3M protects my product outside of my shop. Who cares about the printer, its disposable.... Your product, brand, image is not... I know for damn sure I'm not going to risk that over a couple thousand dollars worth of ink savings.
 

Farmboy

New Member
I'm with cptcorn on this. I only use eco-sol max in my versa-camm. True, we only go through 2 or 3 carts a month (on a good month). I have a print hanging outside the shop that's 2 years old. Colors are still as bright as the day they were printed. That's good enough for me.
 
Top